Name: Sous Vide Grapefruit Syrup
Total time: 3 h 25 min
Ingredients: ½ cup sugar; ½ cup grapefruit juice; 8-10 2-inch strips grapefruit zest

Why This Recipe Works

Extracting flavor from ingredients with the help of heat is an integral part of cooking. High-temperature cooking methods are ideal for coaxing the maximum amount of flavor from meat and bones and vegetables for making broth, but it can be problematic when working with delicate ingredients. Berries and citrus fruits, for example, quickly lose their vibrant, fresh flavor when cooked with high heat. With sous vide, we were able to treat these ingredients very gently, extracting their flavor at a much lower temperature and without evaporation, which in turn delivered a more natural-tasting result. This is particularly useful for making flavored syrups for mixing into cocktails as well as nonalcoholic beverages. For this recipe, we used grapefruit, sugar, and water to produce a syrup that tasted of incredibly fresh grapefruit, with no hint of artificial candy lurking in the background.

Before You Begin

For more about sous vide cooking, refer to our sous vide guide.

Instructions

Using sous vide circulator, bring water to 140°F/60°C in 7-quart container.

Whisk sugar and grapefruit juice together in bowl until sugar has dissolved. Combine sugar mixture and grapefruit zest in 1-gallon zipper-lock freezer bag. Seal bag, pressing out as much air as possible. Gently lower bag into prepared water bath until mixture is fully submerged, and then clip top corner of bag to side of water bath container, allowing remaining air bubbles to rise to top of bag. Reopen 1 corner of zipper, release remaining air bubbles, and reseal bag. Cover and cook for at least 2 hours or up to 3 hours.

Set fine-mesh strainer over large bowl and line with double layer of cheesecloth. Pour grapefruit mixture into prepared strainer and let sit, without pressing on solids, until all liquid has passed through cheesecloth, about 5 minutes; discard solids. Transfer syrup to airtight container, let cool slightly, then refrigerate until ready to use.To Make Ahead Syrup can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.